Recent Fact Sheets

Presenter: John Patrick, 17/05/2014

SERIES 25 Episode 09

John explores a stunning collection of water lilies and lotuses

"There aren't many plants as treasured and revered around the world as waterlilies and lotuses," says John. "They're simply extraordinary. This vast collection in the Yarra Valley outside Melbourne has many unusual varieties and I really want to find out some tips for growing them. Geoff Cochrane began this garden 15 years ago. He explains the difference between a lotus and a waterlily."

"The waterlily is basically growing on the water or just above the water. The lotus stands well above the water," says Geoff. As demonstrated in Geoff's cool-temperate climate, lotuses aren't just tropical plants. "There are two types of lotus. Tropical lotus grow north of Townsville, but below there you can grow cool temperate lotus. These will grow in Tasmania, they grow in southern New Zealand - they're dormant in the winter John."

"So all the greenery goes and you're just left with clear water. What are the tricks of cultivating these gorgeous plants?" asks John.

"They're very easy to grow. All they need is some good soil under the water to grow in and direct sunlight. They're revered by some of the eastern religions because they come out of dirty, grimy water, they love nutrient-rich water and up rises something very pure and pristine," says Geoff.

"There are also a lot of uses for the lotus, John," says Geoff. "We can use them as cut flowers - cut them as a coloured bud. As it opens, snip the stem off and float it in a bowl. There's also a lot of food value with a lotus. When it becomes dormant, as a rhizome, it looks something like a sweet potato growing in the mud - that can be eaten. It's eaten extensively in Asian and Indian cultures."

Geoff's growing some wonderfully exotic species of lotus and waterlily, including the spectacular Amazon Lily (Amazon Waterlily, Victoria amazonica) - but they have to be treated as annuals in a cold climate. "We plant the seed - it's only the size of a pea - in the spring. By Christmas, you've already got leaves about a metre across," he tells John.

"Wow - it's amazing, isn't it? From that to a plant a metre across in such a short period of time," says John. "I must say, these leaves are incredibly leathery - real monsters which have incredible buoyancy. I love the fact it has thorns underneath - they're quite extraordinary."

John admires another giant lily and asks Geoff what it is. "That's an Australian native lily - a gigantea (Australian Giant Waterlily, Nymphaea gigantea). It's from northern Australia. We have about seven or eight species in northern Australia of tropical lilies." Outdoors, they're for areas north of Sydney. Geoff gives them some shelter in order to grow them in Victoria. "They need warm water temperatures and consistent warmth, so they don't want to get cold spells like we get. From Sydney up, most of these tropicals will grow very, very well," he says.

Some water plants can be difficult to grow, but John is impressed by how easy lotuses and waterlilies are to cultivate. Geoff demonstrates.

"Alright, John, I'm going to show you how to pot up a lotus. You have a runner root system and you can see the leaves and the flowers coming up from that runner. Now the important part is the active growing tips - the white ones and the ones with pointed tips. You don't want to damage those. I'll tip in a bit of good soil - that's a bit of mountain soil and lime," says Geoff.

"So, not a heavy clay, but not an open sand either?" asks John.

"Yeah. So you wouldn't use potting mix - that would tend to float and the nutrient comes out of it," says Geoff. "We put in a bit of pea gravel on top. It's not essential, but that helps protect the water. Now all we do is put a bit of water in and away you go. The other main thing - they must be in direct sunlight."

John asks Geoff what makes his collection so special to him. "John, I think it's the sheer beauty of the water flowers," says Geoff. "The waterlilies - the way they sit on the water. The lotus - when they open in the morning sun. I can understand how Monet fell in love with them many years ago."

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